Best Protein Powder 2019 – Reviews and Buying Guide

Last Updated 28 December 2018

If you want to bulk up, then you would be hard pressed to find a better method for doing so then by investing in some good protein powder. Protein powder, when combined with a good weightlifting regimen, is by far the most efficient method for bulking up quickly.

But, how do you pick out the good protein powder from all the scams out there?

In this article, you will see five different high-quality protein powders. We are going to review each of them and tell you our honest opinion. For those in a rush, our choice for the best protein powder 2019 is the MuscleTech NitroTech Protein Powder.

MuscleTech NitroTech Protein Powder

We are starting off this article by reviewing one of the most popular protein powders out there, and certainly one of the most popular ones on Amazon, the MuscleTech NitroTech Protein Powder. This protein powder has over 1,500 reviews on Amazon and it is easy to see why it is a fantastic option and a worthy contender for best protein powder 2019.

First off, this is a very high-quality whey protein. Whey protein powder is always a good option for anyone looking to build muscle because it is absorbed so quickly, and it enables you to start building muscle rapidly. MuscleTech uses very high-quality whey in their formula and it shows. More specifically, MuscleTech uses specialty “pure” whey protein. The pureness helps the whey to be absorbed faster, which enables you to build muscle at a quicker rate.

We want to focus a bit more on how MuscleTech purifies its whey protein since that is very important and definitely something that those wanting to build muscle will be interested in. Essentially, what MuscleTech does is filter the whey multiple times using special filtering techniques. These filtering techniques remove things like fat and lactose from the whey, which would otherwise reduce the effectiveness of the whey protein.

Now, onto the powder itself. It tastes surprisingly good. We know that most of you aren’t too concerned with taste, but it definitely helps to have a good tasting protein powder. MuscleTech’s protein powder does a good job of being tasty, but not overly sweet.

In terms of flavor, they offer just about every flavor that one could imagine. You have basic flavors like strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. You also have far more advanced flavors like chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, mocha, and a variety of other very complex flavors. We can’t comment on all of them, but we found that all the base flavors (vanilla and chocolate) tasted good. The powder is also very easy to mix, and it is strong enough that the taste doesn’t change too much depending on how much water you use.

Pros:

Uses high-quality, filtered whey protein.
Promotes fast absorption of protein.
Comes in a variety of different flavors.
Mixes easily.
A lot of flavors are very affordable.

Cons:

Weighs heavily on stomach and could result in digestive issues for some.
Could be packaged better.

OPTIMUM NUTRITION GOLD STANDARD 100% Whey Protein Powder

Next up we have yet another very strong contender for the overall best protein powder 2019. The OPTIMUM NUTRITION GOLD STANDARD 100% Whey Protein Powder is a great bodybuilding aide that comes in a ton of great flavors. As you can tell from the product name, this is made using 100% whey protein, which means it is great for rapid absorption and building muscle rapidly.

First off, let’s discuss the various flavors and weight options that you can choose from. There are over twenty different flavors to pick from. As you would expect when there are so many flavors being offered, some are more complex than others. Of course, you can buy the standard milk chocolate or vanilla options, but you can also indulge in the more advanced flavors like rocky road or cake batter if you are feeling bored.

One of the great things about the basic flavors is that they don’t use any artificial sweetener. While some may find that the artificial sweetener makes the powder more palatable, a lot of others dislike including artificial sweetener because it makes the powder taste “odd” and because it interferes with their nutrition regimen. So, the fact that the basic flavors are sweetener-free is a great positive aspect of this protein powder.

The powder is just very well-made. It is very filling, and it gives you the energy boost necessary for intense workouts. This is to say nothing of the way that it helps you build muscle (which it also does very well thanks to it being made with 100% whey protein).

There are only two downsides to this powder. Firstly, it is a bit on the pricey side. Is it the most expensive powder around? Absolutely not. But it is still a bit pricier than some other options on our best protein powder 2019 article. Secondly, many of the flavors aren’t all that good and they contain sweetener, so you have to be careful when shopping.

Pros:

Made using 100% whey protein powder.
Mixes well in both milk and water.
Over twenty flavors to pick from.
Basic flavors don’t contain artificial sweetener.
Very filling and gives a great energy boost.

Cons:

Bit on the pricey side.
Some of the flavors aren’t very good and do contain artificial sweetener.

OPTIMUM NUTRITION Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder

For our next entry on the best protein powder 2019 list, we are featuring another product from OPTIMUM NUTRITION. The OPTIMUM NUTRITION Serious Mass Weight Gainer Protein Powder is another great protein powder from this company.

This OPTIMUM NUTRITION product is a bit different than the previous one we reviewed. As the name of this product indicates, this protein powder is meant more for general weight gain than building muscle quickly.

Don’t get us wrong, you can still use this for building muscle, but it isn’t the most optimum choice for rapid muscle gain. It doesn’t use 100% whey protein, instead, it opts for a protein mixture that has whey in it, among other kinds of protein. This has its own advantages, since mixing in the other proteins slows down the absorption rate, making it a better option for general weight gain. Per serving you get over fifty grams of protein and 250 grams of carbs.

It is also packed full of useful nutrients. More specifically, the powder contains roughly twenty-five different vitamins and minerals, including important ones like Vitamins A, C, D, B6, and E. It also has iron, zinc, magnesium, and many other important minerals. For many of those vitamins and nutrients, it contains 100% of the daily value for that particular nutrient, making the powder even more useful.

Like the previous powder from OPTIMUM NUTRITION, this one also comes in a wide variety of flavors. While it is a far cry from twenty, there are still enough flavors to choose from to keep it interesting. Plus, the powder mixes really when combined with things like blended fruits or peanut butter.

The powder is great overall, but it has two flaws that we want to highlight. First off, while it mixes well with blended fruits and/or peanut butter, it doesn’t mix too well on its own. It maintains a very chalk-like texture, even when mixed with lots of water or milk. Secondly, the bottle it comes in is a bit too small.

Pros:

Five unique flavors.
Contains over twenty-five vitamins and minerals.
Uses protein mixture that is well-suited for general weight gain.
High in calories and carbs, so it is very filling.

Cons:

Doesn’t mix all that well.
Bottle is a bit too small.

Legion Whey+ Chocolate Peanut Butter Whey Isolate Protein Powder

Are you looking for a protein powder that has a serious commitment to using only the finest and most sustainable ingredients? If so, then you are going to love the Legion Whey+ Protein Powder. This has earned a spot on our best protein powder 2019 article through its commitment to using only the best quality ingredients possible.

First off, the whey that Legion uses in their protein powder is gotten from very small, sustainable Irish dairy farms. Now, we know that this won’t matter to everyone, but if you care about supporting smaller businesses and sustainable businesses, then you will be glad to know that you are doing both those things by using this protein powder. However, one thing that everyone will care about is the quality of this protein powder. These smaller farms produce very high-quality whey, which leads to a very high-quality protein powder.

Not only is the whey used in this protein powder very high-quality, but it is also very pure. The whey is filtered to remove as much excess fat, carbs, and lactose as possible. The result is that you end up with as close to pure protein as possible. Perfect for those trying to strictly manage carbs or with lactose allergies.

In terms of flavor selection, there are a good variety of flavors. You have all the classic flavors, some interesting unique ones, and even an “unflavored” option for those who only want a basic protein powder with nothing extra added in. That last flavor is pretty important because it means that if you already have a good recipe for a protein shake, then you can just the unflavored variety and you don’t have to worry about it significantly impacting the taste.

There is only one negative aspect to the Legion Whey+ Chocolate Peanut Butter Whey Isolate Protein Powder, and that is the taste. Now, the taste isn’t bad per se, but it is very sweet. It also contains artificial sweetener, which some people may not like. If you detest very sweet things and/or if you hate the taste of artificial sweetener, then this might not be for you.

Pros:

Mixes easily with both water and milk.
Good flavor selection, including an unflavored option.
Uses high-quality whey from sustainable farms.
Whey is free of excess carbs and lactose.

Cons:

Very sweet.
Uses artificial sweetener.

Isopure Zero Carb Protein Powder

For the last entry on this best protein powder 2019 list, we have a very strong contender for the title of overall best protein powder in the form of the Isopure Zero Carb Protein Powder. The first thing to note about this powder is that, as the name hints at, is that it uses 100% pure whey protein.

On this list we have covered a lot of products that use pure whey protein, so by now, you know exactly what that means. This product doesn’t have any excess or unnecessary calories, carbs, or lactose because it uses that pure whey protein. This powder also contains a very helpful vitamin and mineral blend that really adds to the overall quality of the product. It is also worth noting that it is gluten-free.

In terms of flavors, it really has a unique selection that is unmatched by most other protein powders. Sure, it has the standard vanilla flavor, but it also has a wide variety of very unique fruit flavors such as pineapple, apple, toasted coconut, and many more. If you dislike a lot of the overly sweet, dessert flavors that many other protein powders use, then this may be a good option.

Pros:

Mixes very simply.
Lots of interesting and unique flavors to choose from.
Uses 100% pure whey.
No unnecessary carbs and calories.
Free of both gluten and lactose.

Con:

Expensive.

Protein Powder Buying Guide

We hope that any perspective bodybuilders found our protein powder buying guide to be of use. While you may not agree with all our selections on the best protein powder 2019 list, hopefully, you at least one protein powder that you want to try.

As the name of this section gives away, we are going to be moving on from reviewing products and be moving onto discussing what to look for when buying protein powder. In this buying guide, we will do our best to discuss as much as we can about what things to consider when shopping for protein powders.

Our ultimate goal is to help everyone out there to pick out a protein powder that is right for them, however, we also want to give you an idea about the sorts of things that influenced our decision making when picking the protein powders to feature on this list.

Whey Vs Casein Protein

No doubt one of the major things that you noticed while reading through our best protein powder 2019 article is that we featured a lot of whey protein powders. If you know something about bodybuilding and protein powder, then you already know why. However, if you aren’t familiar with either of those topics, then you probably don’t know why this is so important.

Whey protein is the best option for building muscle because it is digested and absorbed very quickly. This means that you can drink it right before a workout session, and you will get the benefits quicker. Casein protein absorbs slower, meaning that the benefits kick in slower, but they are also more spread out. So, it is good for building general mass.

Since the primary buyer of protein powder is people trying to build muscle, we mostly stuck to whey powder, but we did include one option on the best protein powder 2019 list that used a protein mixture instead of pure whey.

Also, on the subject of protein powder, we should mention that you should look for powders that use pure whey. Pure whey doesn’t have any unnecessary additives or unnecessary calories, carbs, etc.

Flavors

There isn’t a lot to say on this topic because flavoring is such a highly subjective issue. The only thing that we would say is that you should pick protein powders with a large variety of flavors.

The chances are good that if you stick with a single protein powder for a long time, that you are going to get bored eventually. So, it is nice to have a large variety of flavors to choose from when that happens.

Sweeteners

Another thing that you have to decide is whether you want your powder to have sweetener in it or not. Many protein powders use sweeteners to improve the taste, but for many people, sweeteners seem to make the powder taste even worse. Again, it comes down to your own personal preferences.

However, you should note that some protein powders will use sweeteners only for certain flavors. For example, a protein powder may not use sweetener for its vanilla flavor, but it may use sweetener for its chocolate flavor. So, always be vigilant and check the ingredients list before buying.

Mixing Ability

Finally, keep an eye out for powders that mix easily. Nothing is worse than a powder that doesn’t mix easily, which leads to you having to deal with clumps of unmixed powder.

When picking out products to put on our best protein powder 2019 list, we made sure to heavily weigh a powder’s mixability.

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of our buying guide, and thus our entire best protein powder 2019 article.

If you have anything that you want to add, we encourage you to make use of our comments section.

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